Seal-lock



(No Model.)

DE WITT 0. OONKLING.

SEAL LOCK.

Patented June 4, 1895.

WITNESSES: z

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llNiTnn STATES PATENT Fries.

DE WITT O. CONKLING, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

SEAL-LOCK.

SEECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 540,381, dated June 4, 1895. Application filed May 7, 1894:. Serial No. 510,341- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DE WITT O. CONKLING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seal-Locks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive, efficient and reliable seal lock; to overcome certain objections inherent in seal locks heretofore in use, and to secure other advantageous results hereinafter referred to.

The invention consists in the improved lock and in the combination and arrangement of the parts thereof, as herein set forth and finally pointed outin the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the figures where they occur, Figure 1 represents, partly in section and partlyin elevation, a hasp-lock intended to be used in connection with my improvement. Fig. 2 represents the same in elevations together with my improvements connected therewith. Fig. 3 is a top plan view ofthe same. Fig. t is'a similar view to that of Fig. 3, except that the latch is re moved; and Fig. 5 represents a front elevation and an edge view of the seal designed to be used with the look.

In said drawings, A designates the hasp; B, the box or casing in which the locking mechanism is inclosed.

C designates the latch, D the staple with which the hasp and latch engage, and E the staple by which the lock is secured to the door. Said latch is provided with a hook at, which engages with the staple D, and a catch Z1 which is designed to engage, automatically, with a corresponding catch, 0, which is mounted upon astud or post 01, projecting from the back of the casing 13. Said catch moves in a plane parallel with the back and is held normally in a locking condition bymeans of a spring (1 coiled around said post, one member of which engages with the bottom of the casing, and the other with a stopf, upon the catch. Said catch is also provided with a finger piece h, by which it may be disengaged when desired.

By the above construction, the catch 0 may be withdrawn from engagement with the catch 61 without having to resort to the use of pins or nails as must be done where the catches are not thus exposed and movable out of contact by pressure from the finger.

A pocket '5, is formed upon the front of the lock ease to receive a glass plate or seal which fits snugly within said pocket, and when the latch is closed, the top or mouth of the pocket,

as well as of the casing is closed by a cover or lid,j, which forms a part of the latch. It will be observed that the seal is exposed through an opening, j in the front wall of the pocket so that the glass seal can be seen at all times, and when it is broken the fragments may readily be discharged or removed therefrom, as will be evident. When the seal is broken or removed the catch is disengaged by pressing against the finger-piece, as will be understood. The front of the pocket is provided with a projecting guard Z, which surrounds the opening, j, to prevent the seal from being injured by any extraneous means. It will be readily seen that the seal cannot be broken without immediate detection; that is to say, no access to the lock-mechanism could possibly be accomplished without breaking the seal and leaving indications of the fact that the seal had been broken, as a break would be irreparable without detection. It is also manifest that it can be easily and quickly applied,and needs no tools or special skill to apply it, and that it is easily broken when required. Another advantage arising from this construction is, that the lock is very simple and can be made with less stock or material than it could be if the catch moved at right angles to the plane of the movement of the latch, as the necessity of cutting the side of the car or the back of the lock for the reception of the catch when it is released from the latch is avoided. In making the lock, the hasp portion can be stamped out from a piece of sheet metal including the back of the casing, and the holes can be punched for the staples by means of which it is secured to the car. The catch can be then pivotally secured to the back of the casing and the cover of the casing provided with'a pocket for the reception of the seal can be placed over the catch and secured to the back in any desired manner, and the latch having the hook and the projection is then secured to the hasp and the device is complete.

I do not limit myself, however, to glass as any brittle material whether transparent or otherwise may be substituted if desired.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a lock, the combination, with a hasp provided with holes for securing it in position, of a substantially open faced casing secured to the hasp, the front of which is provided with a pocket, a hooked latch pivotally secured to the hasp at one end and. having a second hook 26 DE WIN 0. CONKLING.

Witnesses:

OLIVER DRAKE, ROBERT SOLLBERGER. 

